Why Cubs Could See Payoff From Preserving Moises Ballesteros’ Rookie Status

The Chicago Cubs haven’t had a National League Rookie of the Year since 2015 when Kris Bryant won the award.

Back then, there was no reward for Bryant’s award, aside from being one of the top young players in baseball. But that changed in 2022 with the new collective bargaining agreement. The Prospect Promotion Incentive was created for teams to work to develop their own talent into players like Bryant.

Baseball America (subscription required) compiled a list of the prospects that could qualify for the PPI in 2026, and one Cubs rising star made the list — Moises Ballesteros.

How Moises Ballesteros can help future Cubs drafts

Chicago Cubs designated hitter Moises Ballesteros takes his batting gloves off — Chicago Cubs designated hitter Moises Ballesteros. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The PPI comes with a draft pick, but Ballesteros still must qualify. The first hurdle is to be among the Top 100 prospects in baseball on at least two lists — Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline.

Then, he needs to make the Cubs’ opening day roster. After that, he must log at least 172 days of service time.

If he does all of that, then there is a chance he can trigger an extra pick for the Cubs in a later draft. To do that, he must either be named the National League Rookie of the Year or finish among the Top 3 in NL MVP voting before he becomes arbitration eligible.

That’s the value in Ballesteros only taking 57 at-bats at the Major League level after he made his debut. It not only preserved his rookie status but also his prospect status. He needed 135 at-bats to be removed from prospect lists.

"It's going everywhere with all types of pitches, and then there's just a lot of contact. That's generally just a good formula."@Cubs manager Craig Counsell dives deep on why top prospect Moisés Ballesteros is to make an immediate impact in The Show. https://t.co/8YVVj7nOCg pic.twitter.com/lkeHvi8NXG
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) January 24, 2026

There are two good examples in the upcoming MLB Draft. The Atlanta Braves had last year’s rookie of the year in Drake Baldwin. He was PPI eligible and the Braves now have the No. 26 overall pick. In the American League, the Houston Astros saw pitcher Hunter Brown finish third in AL Cy Young voting. He was tagged PPI eligible when he made the opening day roster in 2023 and that landed Houston the No. 28 overall pick.

Chicago could use an extra pick in 2027 after trading away Owen Caissie to the Miami Marlins as part of a package of players for pitcher Edward Cabrera.

The Cubs are hoping that Ballesteros can build on his small sample from a season ago. He slashed .298/.394/.474 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 20 MLB games. Meanwhile, he slashed .316/.385/.473 with 13 home runs and 76 RBI at Iowa, indicating that he’s ready to be a full-time MLB player.

Moises Ballesteros | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Chicago would love to see a bigger payoff than just the emergence of a great player.

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